


The Flow of Time is Always Cruel...

by musiclvr1112



Series: Completing the Compendium [2]
Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: F/M, Missed Connections, Post-Ganon, Sacrifice, Unfinished, Zelink Month 2018, closed doors, forgiven, holding on and letting go, hyrule compendium, somewhere together, the flow of time is always cruel, zelink
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-05
Updated: 2018-08-12
Packaged: 2019-06-22 09:05:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15578445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/musiclvr1112/pseuds/musiclvr1112
Summary: Written for Zelink Month Week 2: The Flow of Time is Always Cruel...A sequel tolast week's ficand taking place after the events of the game, Zelda and Link begin to figure out who they are to each other and how they want to move forward now that so much time has passed.





	1. Unfinished

**Author's Note:**

> Zelink Month Day 5: Unfinished

 

_"Wow.”_

Zelda sat on the floor, her back propped up against the side of Link’s bed, and stared starry-eyed at the screen before her, boasting a fully detailed topographic map of Hyrule. “This is incredible,” she said, a giddy smile on her lips. “Did you really climb every tower to get this?”

She turned her head to look at him. The hero was tired, to say the least. After waking up from what was effectively a hundred-year nap to the news that he needed to save the kingdom from calamity, he had barely slept a wink in the months he spent traveling and preparing to fight Ganon. Now that the war was over and he was back in his bed at home in Hateno, Zelda safe and beside him, the need for sleep was very quickly overtaking him.

The princess, on the other hand, was wired.

She had told him, of course, that he could go ahead and sleep without her, but the knight insisted that he was content laying on the bed with his arm draped over the edge and watching over her shoulder as she explored the progress he had made with the Sheikah Slate.

He stared at her with lethargic, serene blue eyes and a simple smile and nodded. “Every single one.”

She smiled affectionately, still not used to his comparatively liberal use of his voice. “Incredible,” she whispered. “And all of these,” she continued, pointing at the little blue symbols scattered across the map. “They’re all ancient Sheikah shrines that you’ve been able to enter?”

“Mm-hmm,” he hummed. “I’m sure there are still more I haven’t found yet, though. We should ask Kass; he knows songs about some of them.”

“Kass?” she asked, turning to look at him again. She smiled at seeing his eyes closed, though he quickly opened them, realizing she was watching.

“He’s a traveling bard who sings and plays the accordion. His old master was the bard who used to work in the castle.” Link paused to yawn and Zelda thought it might be one of the cutest things she’d ever seen. “You’ll like him. And his family. His wife and daughters live in Rito Village and sing every day.”

Zelda was practically glowing with the warmth she felt every time Link talked about the things he had learned while traveling. She had always known Hyrule to be a diverse and beautiful land with much to be discovered, but growing up, her life had rarely extended beyond the castle walls. She had always loved hearing tales from travelers and reading up on everything she could about the world outside, and that drive and desire to see and learn more of it was only stronger now that 100 years had passed and Ganon was gone.

“I used to love Rito Village,” she replied softly, zooming in on that area of the map. “Let’s go there soon.”

Link hummed in what sounded like agreement and she giggled softly, wondering how much longer he would be awake. She closed the map and went to scroll through the pictures saved on the Sheikah Slate. Nostalgia filled her at the sight of her old pictures—landscapes of some of her favorite places in Hyrule. The very pictures that had allowed Link to regain some of his memories.

Then she scrolled further and saw pictures that Link must have taken along his journey. She laughed at the first one there—a picture of a very young looking Purah in a cute pose—and then immediately paused, confused, as she reached a picture of a sunshroom. Why, of all things, did he take a picture of a sunshroom?

As she scrolled she found more pictures of that nature—just simple shots (some not even that well-taken) of random objects ranging from flowers to weapons.

“Why do you have pictures of so many different things?”

She watched him lean forward the slightest bit, blinking tired eyes at the screen showing off a hearty blueshell snail. Then he relaxed again, head settling close enough she could feel his breath on her shoulder.

“At first it was so that I could track them with the sensor; it beeps when I get closer to the object I have targeted. But then I started taking pictures of everything, just to have them in the compendium.”

Zelda paused, sitting up straight at the sound of those words.

“The…compendium?”

“Mm-hmm,” he hummed. Link reached his hand forward then to click a button on the Sheikah Slate that opened up a familiar organized assortment of pictures, containing nearly everything to be found across Hyrule. The compendium— _her_ compendium.

“You’ve been working on the compendium?” she whispered, slowly scrolling through the entries.

She felt the knight shrug. “A little bit. I’ll admit I haven’t been taking great pictures for it, and a lot are still missing, but it’s useful to have when I’m looking for…” he trailed off. “Princess?” Zelda blinked, suddenly aware of the warm tears falling from her eyes. Link propped himself up on his elbows, becoming much more alert. “What’s wrong?”

“You…don’t remember, do you?” she asked, eyes remaining fixed on the glowing screen in front of her.

“Remember what?”

“The compendium.”

He paused. “No… A lot of my memory still hasn’t come back to me…” She could feel his gaze on her, but she couldn’t stop staring at the compendium. “I’m sorry,” he said, “Should I not have filled it in?”

“N-No, I’m really happy that you have.” More tears rolled down her cheeks as a small smile took to her lips. _“Really happy.”_

She couldn’t believe her eyes. She had programmed the template for the compendium into the slate ages ago, but never had she thought that she would actually see it come to fruition. Back then, it was little more than a hopeless dream. But now…

“Then…” he reached out and stroked her cheek with a thumb to wipe away a tear and she finally tore her eyes from the miracle in her hands to look at the miracle beside her, “…why are you crying?” Those blue eyes were gazing at her with such tender care and worry and she knew that even if he had changed, everything she felt for him 100 years ago most definitely hadn’t.

She smiled a full smile and rubbed her face with the back of her hand. “You don’t remember, but…you and I used to spend hours taking pictures for the compendium. Making a complete collection of every creature and object in Hyrule was my dream, but with everything going on back then, I never thought…” she laughed and some more tears spilled over, wetting her cheeks anew. “I never thought it would happen.”

Link rubbed her cheek with his thumb again, this time cupping her face as she pressed it into his palm. “I’m crying because even though it’s the smallest, silliest thing, seeing the compendium like this is a dream come true.”

He sighed, shoulders relaxing. “I’m sorry I haven’t finished it for you.”

Then she smiled, an excited grin spreading across her cheeks. “Let’s finish it,” she said. “You and me. Let’s finish the compendium.”

Link responded with a real, _full_ smile and nodded. “Okay, princess. Let’s finish the compendium.”


	2. Holding On and Letting Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zelink Month Day 6: Holding On and Letting Go

 

“Does it bother you at all?”

Out among the trees and wildlife near Hateno village, Link and Zelda had occupied their minds with pleasant conversation while they looked for new items to add to the compendium. Eventually, the topic of his memories emerged.

“Not really,” he shrugged, kneeling down in the grass to get a picture of the goat up ahead. “My memories are still coming back slowly. A little bit faster now that you’re here, actually.”

“What? You’ve been remembering things while we’ve been together?”

Link looked up at her with blue eyes clear as the sky above and smiled sheepishly. “Yeah, here and there. Oftentimes it’s the intonation of your voice as you say a specific word, or some facial expression you make. They recall little flashes of scenes from the past—never anything super substantial, but always enough to feel the ghost of the past.” He looked back at the Sheikah Slate then, and raised it toward a deer grazing a short distance away. “Besides,” he said softly, “even if my memories never fully return…” _Click._ “I’m happy with the way things are.”

“You are?” she asked, sitting down in the grass next to him. “It isn’t discomforting to not know who you are or where you came from?”

“Well…” he frowned, “that’s the thing. I _do_ know who I am. I’m the man who woke up in the Shrine of Resurrection and battled Calamity Ganon.” He settled into position, crossing his legs underneath him and lowering the slate to his lap. “The person I was before surely influenced who I am now, but not having his memories doesn’t mean I don’t know who I am.”

He donned a simple smile as he watched a nearby squirrel pick up an acorn off the ground. “In a way, I’m actually kind of thankful for the memory loss. It meant that I got to discover the world around me with the capabilities of a fully grown adult and the blank slate of a child. It allowed me to appreciate nature and the little nuances of Hyrule in a way I don’t think I ever would have otherwise.”

Zelda observed the way he stared fondly at the grass and trees. Her chest all at once felt like it was being compressed and uplifted. She felt heartbreak and sorrow and loss at the explicit declaration that this man in front of her was not the Link she remembered; that the Link of the past was little more than a ghost to this one and that he may never be back.

But his wistful smile was also calming and it was hard not to feel at ease from his words. She supposed the ability to fully appreciate everything from a fresh, clean perspective was something she had never considered, and she couldn’t possibly dislike anything that made him smile like _that._

But what did this mean for her? What did it mean for…her feelings?

“One thing does bother me, though.” Those clear blue eyes fell on her again and she could almost feel the cool refreshing waters of Lake Hylia wash over her. “I do wish I had more memories of you.”

Warmth blossomed in her chest and spread to a smile on her lips.

She had to admit, she rather liked his words. She enjoyed hearing the sound of his voice so regularly and even without a plate of food in front of him. _That_ was something she could thank the memory loss for.

As they stood and continued their walk, Zelda thought to herself that perhaps it wouldn’t be such a bad thing to let herself let go of the old Link.

 


	3. Missed Connections

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zelink Month Day 7: Missed Connections

“I can’t believe you tamed this monster of a horse.”

Link frowned at her, clearly offended. “He is a perfectly good horse. He’s just really big.”

“I’ve never seen a horse so huge,” she said, shaking her head as he fed the steed an apple and pet its nose lovingly. She smiled a moment later as she watched the giant creature turn its head to follow Link as he moved around it. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised,” she sighed. “You’ve always been incredible with horses.”

He peeked his head around the creature’s big, muscular neck with curious eyes. “I have?”

She giggled, stepping forward carefully to approach the monstrous horse in peace. She slowly reached out a hand for it to sniff before peacefully stroking its neck. “Yes, it’s something I always admired about you. If it weren’t for you, I don’t think I ever would have learned to properly ride my horse.”

“I think I remember something about that,” he said hesitantly. His eyes looked as though they were searching his memories as he mindlessly brushed dirt out of the horse’s fur. Then he frowned. “Or at least, something about you saying something about that.”

She had only been petting him for a few seconds, but the titan of a horse was already pressing his nose lovingly into her hand.

“But I don’t get it,” Link continued. “How was I incredible with horses? I feel like I just tame them like everyone else.”

Zelda shook her head and smiled. “No, you don’t. The way you bond with your horses is very unique. They don’t just grow obedient to you; they grow to love you. I used to think it was just Epona in particular, but seeing you with your horses now…”

“Epona?”

She turned to look at him, and was surprised to see him blinking unfocused eyes, almost as if troubled and lost in his own mind. It was only the second time she had seen him like that, but she knew now what it meant. _Epona_ rang a bell.

“Yes, Epona,” she replied softly. “She was your horse. She had been with you for many years before you joined the royal guard, and you refused to part with her. You wouldn’t even accept one of the castle’s purebreds. It was the only demand I ever knew you to make.”

Though his eyes remained in those distant, troubled waters, a bittersweet smile came to his lips. “She must have been a great horse.”

She smiled and mindlessly scratched behind the big horse’s ear.

“She was.”


	4. Sacrifice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zelink Month Day 8: Sacrifice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Buckle up, kids. It's time for some angst.

 

“Link… What do you want?”

The knight turned his attention from the rice and mushrooms sizzling in the cooking pot before him to look at her with that trademark open, curious expression he wore so often. “What?”

Zelda sat with her back propped up against the tree outside their house in Hateno, her eyes heavy with thought. Up until that point, she had just been sitting quietly, enjoying the gentle breeze on her skin and watching the sun set behind Link as he prepared dinner. But as the night had grown darker, so too had her thoughts, moving from the light and mundane—the beautiful blue and purple dragon they had seen that morning, Naydra, must not be the only one, right?—to the more solemn portions of her mind.

“Back before Ganon awoke, I never asked how you ended up where you were. I never knew if you really wanted to become a knight, or if you just did because it was in your family. And even now that you’ve been granted almost a whole new chance at life…” her voice caught in her throat, a small part of her scared to speak aloud the thoughts that had hung on her for days. “From the moment you awoke, you’ve been serving others. In everything you do. You went to fight Ganon because my father wanted you to. You sought out your memories because Impa wanted you to. It seems that everywhere you go, people are asking things of you, from collecting rushrooms to fighting monsters, and you always accept.”

He was watching her with worry laden in those blue eyes, patiently listening to her every word. “It just seems,” she continued, “that you’re constantly sacrificing yourself for what others want, and I can’t help but wonder… What is it that _you_ want?” She tried to keep her voice from shaking then as she asked, “A-Are you here with me because you want to be, or do you stay because you’re too nice to leave?”

Realization suddenly washed over his features and those eyes—those eyes that were so beautifully expressive in this new life—looked so _sad_ as they stared back at her.

“I want to be here,” he whispered, but his troubled expression and the way his body was frozen in place told her there was more to it than that.

“Link,” she began. She immediately paused to swallow a nervous lump in her throat, steeling herself for the words she was about to say. “You’re not the man who took the job of being my personal guard over a century ago. And now that Ganon is gone, I-I don’t—,” she cut herself off, and the way his eyes were slowly growing fearful almost made her lose her voice completely. “If you don’t want to be my personal knight anymore, you don’t have to be. You can live a normal life—your _own_ life.”

She thought she was saying something nice. Something for him. She was trying to tell him that he was free to live his life how he wanted; that he didn’t have to constantly sacrifice himself for others or for the good of Hyrule or any of that. So why— _why—_ was he looking at her with such distraught? Why did she feel like she was stabbing him with every word? Why did he look so…so _heartbroken_ all of a sudden?

Why did those beautiful, expressive eyes have to be looking at her like _that?_

He didn’t say anything. He just sat there, staring at her with wide, fearful eyes, body completely rigid, for such a stretch of time that black smoke began to rise from the cooking pot beside him.

When it made a loud pop and a hiss, Link finally tore his eyes away from her. His distress didn’t fade as he tossed the burnt food into the dirt and cleaned out the pot, but it calmed, simmered. As if his thoughts had begun turning again after freezing in fright. Finally, as he set the clean pot back down over the fire and sat still again, he spoke.

“I bought this house for me,” he admitted. Those blue eyes raised to look at her again and this time, she could see the heavy weight of guilt sitting atop his shoulders. “When I was on my way to Purah’s, they were in the process of tearing it down. I had no reason to buy a house, no use for it. But there was a part of me that thought…maybe I ought to have a place to call my own, where I could…settle down.” He looked away then, drawing his knee up and resting his chin on it. “It was selfish and didn’t have anything to do with battling Ganon or saving you or anything, but I bought it in this moment of thought that maybe I wasn’t everything they said I was; that I was just a normal Hylian who needed a place to live.

“I didn’t know I would be bringing you back here with me at the time. All I knew was that I wanted somewhere to return to when everything was over. But,” he looked up again, and that fear was suddenly back in his eyes, “now that Ganon is gone, and you’re here, I…”

He trailed off, and Zelda didn’t know what to make of the look on his face then. He was staring at her in such strange sorrow and she knew there was still more to it than he was telling her.

Logically she knew that there could be anything swimming behind those blue eyes, but her mind could only think that her fears were true—that he really didn’t want to be her knight anymore, and that she was selfish for staying with him and dragging him along in her travels taking care of the kingdom. He wanted to settle down here in Hateno and not have all of this responsibility on his shoulders anymore. That was, after all, what had once driven away his voice, was it not?

“What?” she asked, a weight like no other sitting heavy on her chest.

“I want…” He looked back and forth between her eyes, hesitant. He opened his mouth and breathed in to speak.

Then shut it again.

“I want to continue being your knight,” he finally said, and the resoluteness of his tone told her it was true. “I thought I wanted to settle down after battling Ganon, and I’ll admit, that idea still appeals to me. But if you’re traveling and taking care of the kingdom, then I want to travel too, so that I can keep protecting you as…as your personal knight.”

Zelda knew there was still more to it. “Are you sure?” she asked, insecurities gnawing at her insides.

“More sure than I’ve ever been in my life.”

He smiled then, and it didn’t quite reach his eyes, but it was real nonetheless. Almost convincing.

“Okay,” she said, and she smiled back in the hopes of putting him at ease. He didn’t want to tell her what it was that tortured him just yet. She would simply have to wait.


	5. Closed Doors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zelink Month Day 9: Closed Doors

 

Zelda scrolled through the Hyrule Compendium, taking note of empty slots. They were done with all the foods and plants, but were still lacking in basically everything else, especially monsters. The end of Ganon hadn’t meant the end of monsters in totality, but they were less common now, and far less brave. Lizalfos were back to solely inhabiting bodies of water, and bokoblins and moblins mostly stuck to forests and less populated areas. Running into danger while traveling main roads was no longer a worry in Hyrule, and as such, the two of them hadn’t encountered a great deal of chances to add monsters to the compendium.

Maybe they ought to go hunting soon. It was good to keep some monster parts lying around for elixirs anyway. And she had always hated that she was so helpless in dangerous situations. Maybe Link could teach her a thing or two about fighting.

Maybe that would get him talking again.

Her finger paused in its scrolling. Zelda put the slate down and rolled onto her back, staring at the bedroom ceiling.

Sure, the growing quiet wasn’t anything close to what it had been in the past. He still spoke on a daily basis, an amount that she would even consider normal among other Hylians. But it was all so dry and cordial. He wasn’t interacting with her how he had been since defeating Ganon. It was like their relationship had lost its friendly demeanor somehow.

It felt like a princess and a knight again, even if there were words being spoken this time. Nothing less, but nothing more.

Ever since she asked him what he wanted.

With a groan of frustration, she pressed the heels of her palms into her forehead. She didn’t like this. She didn’t want this.

It had taken so long for her and Link to build up to a state of friendship back before calamity struck. Those months they had spent in cold formality had been horrible, and she had only let it go on so long because she didn’t know there was better to be had. But when they had finally found space to bond, she had found in him so much more than just some skilled soldier. He was kind and warm made her feel so welcome and safe both in body and in mind. She had found in him someone she could call a dear friend. She had found in him…

And then it was gone. Calamity Ganon took him away from her, and all but forced them back to square one.

This Link was different though. His memory loss was a blessing in disguise, because he came without all the closed doors that had existed around him before. He was open and free spirited, but still every bit as kind and warm as he had been before. She had found in him a dear friend once again. Once again, she had found in him…

But one question and suddenly Zelda found herself trapped behind a closed door once again.

She didn’t want this. She refused to let it be this way. She would not let things go back to the way they were before, not after everything they had been through together. She didn’t care if he was the old Link, the new Link, her personal guard, or not, she…

She loved him.

The door to the house creaked open a moment later and Zelda sat up from the bed, quickly blinking back the tears attempting to form in her eyes. Stepping over to the railing, she watched the knight enter and set bags of mushrooms down on the table from his morning collecting.

“Link,” she said softly. He immediately looked up in surprise, probably not expecting her to be awake when the sun hadn’t even risen.

“Good morning, Princess.”

 _Princess,_ she lamented. Would it be too much to ask him to call her Zelda?

“I want you to teach me how to fight.”

He blinked in surprise. “What?”

“We need to take pictures of monsters for the compendium. And besides, I hate being so defenseless all the time.” She softened her gaze then, hoping it might crack the door open at least a little bit. “Will you teach me how to fight?”

He was still just blinking at her, looking as if he didn’t understand what she was saying. “O-Okay,” he finally said. Then he frowned. “I think we should get you some new clothes first.”

She looked down at the royal blue traveling clothes she had always worn, and realized it was a bit restricting on her mobility. “Okay,” she said. “So where should we go?”

He looked away then, and tapped a finger on the dining table in thought. Then he decided.

“Kakariko.”


	6. Forgiven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zelink Month Day 10: Forgiven

 

Zelda stared at the dark ceiling of the inn, trapped in her own thoughts and so far from sleep that she doubted she’d see it that night.

_This wasn’t at all what I wanted._

Flipping over onto her right side, the princess watched the calm, quiet breaths of the knight in the bed next to hers. She remembered a time when he almost never slept—back before the calamity, when he would stay on guard throughout the whole night whenever they traveled together. These days, however, it seemed she was the one awake with the moon while he slept soundly.

When they’d arrived in Kakariko earlier that day, the sun had just begun to set. The village was everything she remembered it to be—the absolute picture of peace and tranquility, with warm torches around every turn, glowing fireflies lighting walkways, and the constant melody of the running stream. After paying a long-overdue visit to Impa, Link had taken her to the local apparel shop—fittingly named _Enchanted—_ and had gotten her two new sets of clothes.

The first she had stopped to admire the moment they’d entered the shop. Form fitting, in smooth fabric the color of night and bearing the proud symbol of the Sheikah tribe, the armor was just like that which the Sheikah warriors had worn when she was younger. Those were the same warriors who had liked to sneak up behind her when she was a little girl, only to surprise her with a flower—a trick which never failed, even as she got older and more perceptive. They were also the same warriors who she owed for taking Link to the Shrine of Resurrection. Needless to say, she was honored to wear the same clothes as them now.

The second set of clothing had been Hylian gear, just the same as she had worn once before. It was just like the spare set of clothes that Link used to carry around with him—except his had been dyed green. As her personal guard, he was required to wear the champion’s tunic, so he’d never needed his Hylian gear, but he’d kept them on the off chance that something might happen to his clothes while out traveling. As it turned out, it was Zelda who had needed them. She could still feel the warmth and comfort those clothes had given her that night. It was a memory she would forever hold dear.

The warmth of the village, the comfort of seeing Impa, and the nostalgia from the clothes could only raise her spirits so much, however, as everything seemed to be dampened by the ever present silence of the knight beside her. Despite her attempts to melt the ice between them as they had traveled, it seemed their conversation from weeks ago continued to hang on him. There were even moments—like when she got distracted admiring an ancient shrine radiating its true blue light—where she would turn and catch him smiling at her in such a way that made her absolutely glow. But the smile would soon be taken away, as he would only let it linger a fraction of a second if ever she noticed, and an almost pained expression would take its place before he returned to his neutral, calm demeanor.

It was like being given a light only to have a torrential downpour take it out.

It struck her every time it happened, and she couldn’t help but grow more and more frustrated as time went on this way. But no matter, she thought. There had been closed doors between them once before. If she could open them back them, she could open them now.

That was what they were in Kakariko for, anyway. Having Link teach her about horses had been a key before. She hoped that having him teach her about fighting would be a key now.

And then he’d introduced her to Steen.

 _The best defense is a good offense!_ His words rang through her head, the exact intonation of his voice burned into her memory from him repeated those exact words _so many times._ Sure, she was grateful for the man imparting her some secrets of combat, but when she’d asked Link to teach her how to fight, she meant she wanted lessons from _him,_ not from some carrot-crazed old man waving a stick around!

Meanwhile, the legendary swordsman himself had stood right in her view sharing friendly conversation with Paya, who blushed at _everything_ he said.

She sighed in frustration as she beheld him in the cold moonlight. What sorts of things was he saying to make Paya blush that he wouldn’t even say to her? Why wouldn’t he regard her so comfortably as he had been before she’d asked? Why did he take it away even from himself when he so clearly felt the same closeness to her as she did to him?

His bed was just near enough that she could reach out and tuck a strand of soft hair behind his ear. He stirred, tilting his head the slightest bit into her touch, and she smiled fondly. It seemed he was far more honest while asleep than awake. Then he reached up and took her hand in his own, bringing it back down to rest on the pillow before him. His thumb idly stroked her fingers.

The question still hung on her too. He wasn’t lying when he said he wanted to stay her personal guard, but night after night, she lay awake wondering what else it was he was keeping from her. The knight most definitely had a desire of his own. So why couldn’t he just tell her?

“Oh Link,” she whispered in the darkness. “What do you want?”

His thumb gently running along the third finger of her left hand, he finally answered her answer.

“You.”

And then, he whispered in his sleep something she didn’t expect.

“Forgive me, Link. I love her too.”


	7. Somewhere, Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zelink Month Day 11 (a day late because yesterday was SUPER busy): Somewhere, Together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next week's fic will branch off of this one as well; stay tuned! <3

 

“You know, I never thought I would be able to get close to fireflies like this without them noticing me.”

Zelda’s quiet voice fell into the calming sounds of the night with ease. A gentle breeze rustled leaves on the trees, frogs croaked in the creek nearby, and crickets sang their night time tune while she and Link padded around in the grass collecting her favorite glowing bugs. She was wearing her new Sheikah clothing for the first time, and it was absolutely incredible how the smooth fabric seemed to muffle her every move while the color blended her in with the darkness of the night. She stood less than a foot from a group of fireflies, as she had done several times that night, and reached out with cupped hands.

“I did it!” she squealed a moment later, springing up. The fireflies around her immediately scattered, but she hopped giddily over to Link and crouched down next to where he sat in the grass. “I caught another one!”

Wearing a simple smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes—the only one he’d been giving her as of late—the knight said nothing and opened up the jar for her to add the newest addition to their collection of fireflies. The jar was starting to look rather full, she thought. Soon they would have enough to give the Great Fairy Cotera so she could bestow her strengthening abilities on Zelda’s new clothing.

“You know,” Zelda whispered as Link put the cap back on, “I once watched you catch a firefly right before my eyes, and I thought that your ability to sneak up on them was incredible.” She giggled, “I never expected to be able to do it myself.”

He smiled again and this time it was even less convincing. “You are capable of many things, Princess.”

 _Princess,_ she repeated in her head with a sigh. Though she still didn’t like how things were, she felt much calmer now than she had in the last few weeks. Where him calling her _Princess_ nearly pained her previously, she now only felt a slight sadness. Where his bitter smile had been absolutely heartbreaking before, it now only strengthened her resolve.

“I want you to call me Zelda.” The knight visibly stilled for a moment before looking at her hesitantly. She smiled the warmest of smiles as she sat down beside him, drawing a knee up to her chest. “It _is_ my name,” she reminded him.

“To not call you by your title would be a disrespect,” he mumbled, and she could clearly tell that he didn’t honestly believe that.

“Actually, I don’t know that it really is my title anymore,” she replied. Zelda watched the fireflies float about them in peace as she spoke, admiring the way the bugs didn’t discern between them and the rest of the night air. “Technically, with my father gone, I would be queen, but that certainly doesn’t feel right. Hyrule has spent 100 years governing itself, so my position as royalty has very much taken a step back. I don’t plan to abandon the throne by any means, and I will step up as queen if or when the people want me to. But the way I’m living right now is much more akin to a normal citizen than a leader.”

“Princess, I…”

“Besides,” she continued. “I really want you to use my name.” She looked at him again then and he looked away, hard expression mulling in conflict. “I can be content with everyone else in the world calling me Princess or Queen or Your Majesty for the rest of my life, but I want you to call me Zelda.”

When he didn’t answer, just sat there in unease, she finally decided it was time to bring up the topic she had wanted to discuss all night.

“Link,” she began, “I heard you talking in your sleep last night.” He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, blonde brows knit together in silent question. “You were asking _Link_ to forgive you.” Then realization and concern crossed his face, but he said nothing. “Please tell me,” she whispered softly.

Link looked away again, idly watching the fireflies. He was silent for a time after that, the only sounds between them the rustling of the grass and the chirping of the crickets. But this silence felt different. It was far more bearable than the ones they had shared lately, and Zelda could wait patiently while he thought. If it meant finally receiving an answer at the end of it.

“I can feel his love for you,” he whispered, tone solemn. She had been watching a single firefly form figure eights around its friends, but she immediately turned her gaze to him. The knight’s eyes were hard and unfocused as he stared off into the trees, knees drawn up and elbows resting over them leisurely. “The Link that I was before I lost my memories. He cared for you, adored you, in a way he didn’t feel toward anyone else.” He turned, meeting her gaze then with an unyielding expression. “And I know that you loved him too. I can see it in your face, hear it in your voice, every time you remember him. But…” He looked away again, eyes drifting down in sorrow. “I’m not him.”

Link paused and Zelda had to swallow down a lump in her throat. She could feel the beginnings of tears threatening at the corners of her eyes but she blinked them away and waited on his words.

“Even when I hadn’t met you yet, I could always feel his love for you. It was the first thing I felt when I woke up to your voice. It surged forth every time I remembered something about you. And when we defeated Ganon and I finally saw you…” This time when those blue eyes turned to her, they held an admiration like no other. It held her, caressed her, showered her in warmth. And then it left, giving way to a melancholy sigh. “Everything that he was is now part of who I am, including that love. But the thing is that since then, I…” he trailed off, hesitantly looking back and forth between her eyes. “I’ve grown to love you too. And I don’t know if it’s because it’s just his love calling out every time I see you, or if I really… If it’s me who’s…”

He pressed his lips together in frustration, unsure of how to finish the sentence. He eventually gave up, breaking eye contact again and reaching a hand up to rub the back of his neck. “But the thing is, regardless of where the feelings came from, they’re there. They’re present and they come out every time I see you smile. Every time I hear you speak…” He trailed off and soft smile on his lips made her stomach flutter before it was lost to his anguish once again. “But I didn’t want to tell you because I can’t help but think…that if I did, I would be taking advantage of the love you already shared with him.”

The two sat in silence for a while after that. Link didn’t seem to have any more to say, and Zelda wasn’t sure what to say for the longest time. So they just…sat. And watched the fireflies.

“Link,” she eventually heard herself say. “Do you love me?”

His answer was immediate. “Yes.” Then, after a moment of thought, “But I don’t know if that’s more me or—,”

She shushed him by raising a finger in his direction, eyes still fixed on the bugs. “Do you love me?” she repeated.

“Yes.”

Zelda smiled, a glow blooming inside her to match the creatures she so admired. “Then it doesn’t matter where your feelings come from. They can be yours or his, or a mix of them both. It doesn’t change the fact that you, whoever you are, love me, here and now.” She finally turned, and this time, she shifted her whole body so that she was fully facing him. Watching her in wonder, he did the same. “Just like it doesn’t matter who you are—whether you’re the Link I knew before, or if he’s only a part of you—because whoever you are, I love you, here and now.”

Those blue eyes widened the slightest bit as he gazed back at her in amazement and curiosity. Most importantly, those hints of anguish, conflict, discomfort, and sorrow that he had carried with him constantly over the last few weeks were nowhere to be seen.

“You do?”

Her knee bumped his as she leaned forward, reaching a hand out to tuck some hair behind his ear. She nodded. “I started thinking of you as someone separate from him a while ago. You’re similar, and you stir up those same emotions in me that he used to, but my feelings for you are so much more.” She sat back then, and with a deep breath and straight back, looked him square in the eye. “So Link,” she said in a soft tone, “I want to ask you one more time. What do you want?”

At first, he simple stared in wide-eyed amazement. Then, the smallest of smiles very slowly inched across his lips. He was the one to reach out this time, closing the gap between them as he cradled her hands in his palms.

“I want to be with you, wherever you go.” She laced her fingers through his. “Whether as your knight or your friend, or more, I want to be by your side. We can be anywhere, as long as we’re somewhere, together.” He paused, and the smile he donned spoke to the freeing power of just saying those words out loud. “And you…Zelda?” She giggled, loving the sound of her name on his tongue. “What do you want?”

Clasping his hands in hers, she leaned forward, pressing her forehead against his.

“I want you.”


End file.
